


A Cat's Lullaby

by Happiness_Garden



Series: A Cat's Lullaby [1]
Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I had to consult a music terminology glossary, I wrote this instead of studying, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Song Lyrics, meme references, music references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24682135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happiness_Garden/pseuds/Happiness_Garden
Summary: Vanille is scared. Terrified, really.How did she enroll into a prestigious college she never heard of, much less registered at? What, is magic real now?...Magic exists?!"Now tell me, how in the sweet heavens did I end up here?!"
Series: A Cat's Lullaby [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977874
Kudos: 21





	1. Anacrusis

She felt something strange. A large room, decorated with what appears to be... floating coffins? With something glowing green set on the lids. The centerpiece was a mirror, or at the least something similar in shape as it too lit the room with an emerald glow. She was scared.

_Ah..._

_My dearest beloved..._

_The lovely and noble flower of evil..._

_Truly, you are the most beautiful in the world..._

She whispered an unclear mumble while glancing around the room. To no avail, as the green light was too faint. Anything beyond were obscured by the dark. She took a step towards the mirror, unease settling deep inside. 

_Mirror, mirror on the wall..._

_Who is the most..._

Most? Most what? Again, she spun around in search of the source. All of a sudden, a blinding light came from above. She looked up only to see a strange circle with intricate lines connecting to one another. The lines moved on its own and each time one had reached its end the light grew ever brighter, soon completing itself.

_To you, guided by the Mirror of Darkness..._

_Following the desires of thy heart..._

Despite looking away for only a second, a barrage of white lilies drifted down though none touched the ground as they faded before reaching it. She noticed that a number of them turn black as night as they fell. It scared her even further. It made no sense. What was there to fear? Yet her instincts all went into panic.

_Take the hand that lies within the mirror..._

It was tempting. Her knees quivered as she covered the distance between her and the mirror, now reflecting an open palm. She stopped her outstretched hand from taking it, though. Was this right? The voice continued to echo more words, something about fire, ice, and earth, but her ears no longer processed it. Despite that, the cryptic voice was quite comforting. It dispelled the mysterious fear that frightened her for no reason. It felt... safe. 

Yes. She reassured herself. Everything will be fine. All she had to do was reach out her hand...

_Fear not the power of darkness..._

_Come now, show me your power..._

_Mine, Theirs, Yours..._

_There is little time left for us..._

She saw her small hand ripple against the mirror's surface like water. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Everything in her was spent on focusing at the hand and the voice it accompanied.

_Do not let go, at all costs-_

Her face broke into a wondrous smile as she gripped the hand tightly. That was something she could do. The darkness enveloped everything around her, yet her fears didn't rise. It was sleepiness. As her eyelids slowly closed and sleep welcoming her, she whispered,

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer than I thought it would...  
> Cryptic introductions are seriously hard! Cryptic writers have earned my respect.  
> I don't think I did it well enough... But, this is to the best of my abilities.
> 
> Anacrusis:  
> A note or several notes that precede the first full bar.


	2. Appoggiatura

A rattling sound woke her up. Opening her eyes, she felt squished. 'Is this a box?' She certainly felt locked in one.

"Darn it! People are coming soon! I need to get this uniform on, fast! Arggh! This lid is so heavy!"

'Who is that? Wait, why is this box rattling?! Stop, stop!!' It started to feel stuffy, and her breathing grew harder. It felt suffocating. Her hands started beating on the surface in front of her, hoping, begging whoever was on the other side could hear her silent pleas.

"If it's come to this.... I'm gonna use my last resort! Take this!"

She barely had time to register their words before the cover was blown off with a blue fire, burning the sides of her hands in the process. Shocked, her only reaction was a very high-pitched scream as she fell out of the box. Had she taken a closer look, she would've noticed how it was a coffin floating upright, though, there were many other coffins like hers around the room.

"Alright! That's what I was looking for-- Ahh! Y-you! Why are you up already?!"

Having landed face-first with a small "ow...", she looked up and saw who the rude person was. Well, it was most certainly not human. "M-me?! What about you?! What even are you?! A hell-raccoon dog?!"

The creature did look like one. With soft grey fur and tufts of white on its chest down to the squishy pink paws, which indicated her it wasn't an actual raccoon. Its ears sprouted blue flames, like the ones that demolished her coffin, and a tail that ended in a coal-black pitchfork shape. A white striped bow was tied around its neck, albeit singed at the ends, most likely from the earlier fire.

It gave an offended look. "Wha-- Who's a raccoon?! I'm the great Grim, you know!" She sent a dubious stare in return, raising an eyebrow at its arrogance.

"Tch, whatever." The raccoon-dog-cat thing smiled a cocky grin. "You! Gimme those clothes! Or else... I'll roast you!" Blue flames burst behind it, to accentuate its point.

She only blinked owlishly at its words. 'My... clothes?' a bright red blush colored her cheeks in realization as she screamed, "PERVERT!!". Quickly turning, she saw a grand door as she bolted towards it. It was then that she also realized what she was wearing.

A velvety black robe with golden trimmings all around. The sleeves fell to around her knuckles while the bottom was just shy from being floor-length and had a split down the center, revealing her dark slacks. The hood was also large, being pulled right above her bangs. She still had the clothes she remembered wearing underneath, which included a large brown sling bag filled with her things.

'Why do I have this on? Is this what that thing wanted? Who even gave me this?' brushing aside her eternal questions, she bundled the fronts of the robe into her arms and ran with all her might. Sadly, it seemed that the small monster intended to follow through with its plan, chasing her through the winding corridors, lecture halls, and carefully manicured gardens. Turning a corner, they both found themselves in a vast library. Lucky for the creature who calls himself Grim, not so much for Vanille.

"Shit!" she openly cursed, internally groaning at her misfortune. Turning around, she stared down at Grim who exhaled heavy pants yet still tried to stand cockily. It unleashed yet another ring of blue fire and smirked, " Did you really think you could run away from me, dumb human!? Now, if you don’t want to be roasted whole, give me thoseー Fugya!? Ow! What’s with this cord!?"

"This is no mere cord. It's a whip of love!" A strange man emerged behind Grim. His eyes were covered by a crow-shaped mask, though two glowing lights seem to track his eye movements. They cut into half moon shapes as he yelled at Grim. He then faced Vanille. "Ah, I finally found you. You are a new student, no? You shouldn't be doing things like this. To arbitrarily leave the Gate on your own! Not only that, you brought an untamed familiar which has broken a number of school rules!" His voice echoes in the library, scolding her for things she didn't even know about.

Grim struggled within its binds. "Lemme go! I'm not their freakin' familiar!" it exclaimed, though it fell on deaf ears. 

The man waved off Grim's protests, "Yes, yes, every rebellious familiar says that. Now let’s be quiet for a while." he said, covering up Grim's mouth. "Really, now. It’s unheard of for a new student to open door and coming out by themselves. Haa… how impatient can you be? Come along, the entrance ceremony has already started. Let’s head to the Mirror Chamber."

She finally found her tongue, asking the strange man, "What in the world are you talking about?! Gates and familiars, a Mirror Chamber?! Did you inhale a hallucinogen, or something?!"

"Oh my, are you still dazed? It appears the teleportation magic has left you disoriented... Well, it is fine. It happens often enough. As I am so kind, I shall give you an explanation as we make our way there. The Mirror Chamber the room you woke up in with all of the doors. All students who wish to attend this academy must pass through one of those doors to arrive here. Normally, students wake up only after the door is opened with a special key but,"

"The lid was blown off..." she recalled back a few minutes ago, touching the side of her hands and wincing at the light burns the fire had inflicted.

The masked man sighed once more. "So in the end, the culprit appears to be this familiar. If you're going to bring it with you, you have to take responsibility and properly take care of it... Oh, now isn't the time to be long winded. The entrance ceremony will soon come to a close. Let's get a move on." The man strode off without missing a beat. Seeing him walk off, she quickly sprinted to catch up with him.

"This," he says, as they enter one of the gardens she passed while running away from Grim, "is Night Raven College. The most prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland, where magicians with an aptitude for magic gather and I am the headmaster, appointed to take care of this academy by the board chairman, Dire Crowley. Only those magicians seen as worthy by the Dark Mirror can attend this school. Chosen ones use the Gate and are summoned here from around the world. An Ebony carriage carrying a Gate should have gone to meet you as well." Headmaster Crowley prattled off some more as they walked back to the Mirror Chamber, though Vanille tuned it out as nonsensical jabbering.

All she could think was when this insane dream ended, she'd wake up in bed and forget all about this loopy dreamland, ignoring the very real stinging in her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely didn't completely forget writing this....  
> Ah, I'm guilty as charged. On a good note, going forward, I can probably manage a new chapter every other week or so.
> 
> Appoggiatura:  
> One or more grace notes that take up some note value of the next full note.


	3. Acciaccatura

Within a few minutes, they arrived in front of the Mirror Chamber. A few too little minutes for Vanille, whose head was still addled from everything. She needed time to process all this new information and she glanced at Headmaster Crowley with pleading eyes, hoping to stall the inevitable, but to no avail. He flung the heavy double doors wide open and strode in, urging her to follow behind.

For a split second, she glanced around her surroundings only to see a hundred pairs of eyes observe her every move. She visibly jumped slightly before scurrying closer to the headmaster's back, hoping it hid her from their prying eyes. It didn't matter, as when they reached the center of the large room, he stepped to the side and began conversing with, what she could see was, a boy no taller than her with crimson red hair. At least, she thinks it's red.

It was hard to identify most people in that room, seeing as, except for Headmaster Crowley, everyone was wearing the same silky robe she found herself in when she woke up. Though, with fast pass on their figures, the population of "students" seemed to be predominantly male. Several were traditionally masculine. Others, not so much... Wait, is that a floating tablet?! And the kid next to it was definitely more mechanical than human...

'this isn't real. It isn't! That's right, this is all just one big drea-' she was snapped out of her thoughts when Headmaster Crowley called out to her.

"If you would step in front of the Dark Mirror." He gestured to her, revealing an ornate mirror she never noticed was there. It didn't seem harmful in any way, it was just a mirror after all.

**"State thy name"**

Suddenly, a moving mask appeared inside the mirror and she followed its orders without complaint.

"I-", she coughed and attempted to make her voice less feminine. Seeing the male to female ratio here, being a guy seems safer. "My name is Vanille."

**"The shape of thy soul"**

**"..."**

**"I cannot see"**

The headmaster blinked before sputtering, "Eh? Come again?"

**"I sense nothing in this one"**

**"The color, the shape, there is nothing"**

Immediately, the crowd bursts into hushed whispers. Headmaster Crowley looked as if the world has ended and he was about to die at any second. "An Ebony Carriage would absolutely never go to meet someone who can't use magic! In the 100 years this system has been used, there has never been a mistake. So, why in the world did this happen?!" In his shock, he loosened his grip on Grim and ever the opportunist, it took the chance presented.

"Then I'll take his place! Unlike this dumb guy, I can use magic! If ya need proof, I'll show you right now!" Grim had slipped away from the headmaster and inhaled a deep breath, ready to set everything on fire. One of the students nearby, most likely the one Headmaster Crowley was talking to, immediately told everyone to get down, though, those with slower reaction speeds were unfortunately hit.

"GAH! Hot hot hot! My butt's on fire!" a student wearing a turban screamed. True to his word, his bottom was, in fact, lit with a blue flame. Despite having injured someone, Grim laughed at the chaos it created. 

Vanille's eye twitched. Thinking about it, hasn't all her problems stemmed from this one creature? She was frustrated. Frustrated at this never-ending dream and frustrated at the sole reason why this dream became a nightmare. "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"

Grim stilled for a second from her outburst. She glared before immediately running towards Grim and it was only able to escape from her grasp by a hair. 

"GET BACK HERE AND DIE LIKE A MAN!" she shouted. 

Despite missing Grim the first time, Vanille took no breaks and continued to chase after the hell-raccoon. Missing another chance to grab Grim, she took off her robe and dropped the bag she kept hidden underneath, though she still held on to the robe. Grim took this moment to run out the Mirror Chamber. She let out another frustrated scream, chasing after Grim.

Headmaster Crowley could only look with silence horror as the door they had gone through slammed shut. The noise jolted him and he composed himself before trying to rouse the other students into action. "At this rate, the school will be engulfed in flames! Somebody, catch that raccoon!"

"Hah? Didn't that guy already go after it? He can deal with the mess." A man with lion ears said with a lazy drawl.

The blonde beside him raised an eyebrow. "Oh? But aren't you good at hunting? Doesn't it look like a plump little snack?"

"Why me? Do it yourself if really want to."

"Headmaster Crowley, please leave this to me," a voice volunteered. "I'm sure the others couldn't stomach harassing the poor creature, so I will take it upon myself." It came from a man wearing a set of glasses. He had used magic to summon water and put an end to the fires, including the unfortunate soul who had his pants get burnt.

"Ah, typical Azul." a sound emerged from the floating tablet. "Always trying to earn brownie points."

'Azul' gave the tablet a mirthful laugh before facing the red head. "Care to help, Riddle?"

Sighing, 'Riddle' steeled his eyes. "I cannot overlook those who break the rules. Let's hurry up and put this to an end."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barely snuck this in at the tail end of two weeks. I blame school!  
> Anyways, the rhythmic portion will be in the start of the next chapter. Or maybe I'll edit the chapter in the morning to add it in, who knows.
> 
> Acciaccatura:  
> Crushing (i.e. a very fast grace note that is "crushed" against the note that follows and takes up no value in the measure).


End file.
